Roger Urbaniak spent most of his working career in commercial real estate. Two major areas that he focuses on these days are bringing back catchable numbers of sockeye salmon to Lake Washington, as well as using his real estate and development skills in an effort to break through the permitting barriers holding back development of vertical evacuation structures capable of withstanding limited earthquake/tsunami events in Washington and Oregon. Roger’s home is on Mercer Island where he lives with his wife Linda and new pet dog Sparky. Hobbies that entail being outdoors are his favorites: hiking, fishing, gathering edible wild food, tennis, canoeing, snowshoeing or just simple drives through the countryside give him pleasure. His writing skills and habits were encouraged and improved on once he met Linda 20+ years ago. “Writing a column has been an awesome experience. I rarely know how my article will end once I begin… I actually get excited as I write, occasionally feeling adrenaline rushes as I come up with ways to relate experiences.” When he writes, he likes to teach; he enjoys teaching and sharing his experiences and knowledge of the outdoors with others.